The police responded en masse on Monday evening because suspicious drones flew above the Vught PI. The prison complex was surrounded by officers in bulletproof vests, but the drones were only seen and not intercepted. It is also still unclear who controlled the drones. Drone expert Pave Verbeek understands this, because with the right tricks, he says, it is ‘quite difficult to intercept a drone and track down the driver’.
It is absolutely forbidden to fly above the PI Vught. Since 2020, the airspace above the prison has been a so-called ‘no fly zone’. In October, this ban was extended until 2025. There is a hefty fine for flying in such an area. According to Verbeek National Drone Team Search and Rescuean organization of volunteers that uses drones to track down missing people, ignoring such a ban could be very costly. “Your equipment will be confiscated immediately and a fine of easily more than 8,500 euros will be imposed.”
Flying above the PI in Vught does not necessarily carry a heavier penalty. The Public Prosecution Service indicates that ‘it is difficult to give a general answer’. “That depends on the circumstances and someone’s intentions,” says a spokesperson. In other words, a hobbyist who accidentally flies into the area will receive a different punishment than someone who tries to help an inmate in the PI.
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Hobbyist drones basically automatically shut down when they are in a no fly zone. Only with the correct certification is it possible to fly into such an area. Pave himself flies a larger drone that does have those rights, but according to him it is possible to circumvent this security: “People can hack everything these days, so that security can also be turned off. That is of course completely illegal.”
“It does happen that suddenly a complete stranger is standing behind you.”
According to Pave, it is possible to bring down drones above the Vught PI with a jammer. “You can protect an area of five to six hundred meters with such a transmitter. Drones that enter that zone lose contact with the driver and then fall from the sky.” A spokesperson for the PI Vught confirms that a drone detection system is present, but does not want to say anything further about its operation. It is therefore unclear whether such a jammer is present in the PI.
A drone has continuous contact with the control system while flying. According to Pave, it is possible to intercept this signal and thus determine the exact location of the driver. “Since the beginning of this year, this technology has also been available to laymen. When we with our ‘search drones‘ When you go out, it sometimes happens that a complete stranger suddenly stands behind you,” says Pave.
In principle, you would think, the pilot of the drones that flew above the PI could be quickly traced. But this detection method can also be circumvented. Drones can fly autonomously. The driver then programs a route in advance, after which the drone follows it completely independently. No signal is then sent anymore, so it cannot be picked up by detection systems. Autonomous flying is prohibited in the Netherlands. “In addition, as a driver you must keep your drone in sight at all times. Flying out of sight is a real pain no go”, says Pave.
“There is some kind of cannon that shoots a net to catch the drone.”
He adds that flying autonomously with a load, for example to deliver a telephone, is very difficult. “The weight of the package causes the drone to rock faster, and you can no longer adjust to correct it.” It is possible to protect a prison against this kind of escape, according to Pave ‘there is a kind of cannon that shoots a rubber bullet with a net’. It is also not clear whether the Vught PI has this technology.
Even when a drone is spotted by a detection system, timely intervention is extremely difficult, according to the drone expert. According to him, there are devices that have a range of fifteen kilometers. “In principle you can then be on the other side of Den Bosch. From there you can quickly fly above the prison and be gone before the police arrive. It is not without reason that drones are the most efficient war vehicle in Ukraine.”